Interview with Shey Sabripour, CEO of CesiumAstro

August 31, 2021

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Today I am joined by Shey Sabripour, Founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, a startup that provides communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space or airborne platforms.

Shey has nearly three decades of leadership success in design, development and execution of LEO and GEO telecommunication satellites, launch vehicles, and other interplanetary space vehicles.

During his 24 years of continuous career with Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Shey served as a design engineer, technology innovator, program manager and ultimately, the Director of Spacecraft Design responsible for an organization of 370 engineers, scientists, and business professionals in missions ranging from $100M to $1B.

From 2001 through 2005 Shey served as the Director of Agile Payload Program, where he led a multidisciplinary team for design, development, qualification and successful flight of the first Lockheed Martin Commercial Active Phased Array Payload. His last program at Lockheed Martin was in the design, development, qualification and production of the United States Navy’s first MUOS communication satellite. Shey was recognized 14 times by Lockheed Martin Corporation as a visionary innovator and program leader. He was named person of the year in 2005 at Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.

From September of 2014 to December of 2016, Shey served as the CTO for Firefly Space Systems, a startup rocket company in Austin Texas. In that role, Shey was responsible for technical and program management of the Alpha Rocket. He was instrumental in growing the small team of 11 engineers to more than 160 in 2016. His team successfully bid and won the NASA VCLS mission and two DARPA contracts at Firefly.

Shey earned his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from North Dakota State University in 1985. He has pursued continuing education in both electrical engineering and executive business management at institutions such as New Jersey Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Santa Clara University, University of Maryland and Lockheed Martin Center for Leadership excellence.